January 06, 2026

January 6, 2026 -- Psalm 145:2,8 -- What is God like? His steadfast love.

January 06, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 145:2,8 ESV

What is God like? Some people figure if He exists at all, He is angry all the time. Or He is somewhere far away, completely unaware of His creation, or His hapless creatures. The writer of this psalm is piling up descriptions of Who God Is, that are rich, reassuring, and beautiful. At Christmas time, many of you sang carols that included the Name of Jesus Immanuel. That name means God with us.

How can you be sure the God really is near, with you?

First, it is the promise of the Bible. The only, utterly trustworthy book ever written.
Second, consider the fact that He is abounding in steadfast love. You’ve had friends who end conversations with the tagline, I love you…but then you don’t hear from them. There’s no evidence of their love anywhere to be seen. By way of contrast, the verses 14 - 20 declare the glorious acts of God by which He proves He is loving toward all He has made. (Go ahead, read them. I’ll wait.)
Third, the greatest demonstration of God’s steadfast love, is Jesus Christ. Jesus is God come down to earth. He knows how hard it is to be human and never sinned. He experienced all the temptations and pains of humanity but never sinned. That is why His death is the one, final sacrifice that takes away sin. All who believe on Him are forgiven their sins and experience God’s grace and mercy and patience.
Finally, listen to Christian friends who experience such lovingkindness from God.

If this is not your experience of God, find a Christian whose walk with God you admire and ask questions. Really dig into what this all means. The most basic questions of life are:

How did I get here?
Why am I here?
How can I tell right from wrong?
What happens when I die?

When you ask, what is God like, you are exploring the answer to those four most basic life questions. When you go to Him, Who made you and loves you, with all your questions, you’ll find the answers to be glorious. No wonder that, at the start of this psalm, David blesses the LORD, Who made him and gave purpose to his life.

Mighty God of Heaven and Earth, my mouth will speak the praise of Your Name,
and with new-found joy in knowing You more fully, I call on all people to join with me in blessing His holy name forever and ever. Amen.
(Based on Psalm 145:21)

https://youtu.be/UQVm06EhJnI?si=vdBhSm1bsPIQjvWn My heart is filled with thankfulness

January 05, 2026

January 5, 2026 -- Psalm 145:3,8 -- God is slow to anger. Why is that important?

January 05, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 145:3,8 ESV

As we continue the series “What God is like” we focus on one attribute He Himself has revealed. The LORD, Who formed us, has the right to dictate how we live, what is good and what is evil, commands His to live in complete dedication to Him alone. Every time you hear that in Scripture, you are reminded that the Lord our God has first delivered His people from the grip of sin, the power of the Devil and has then brought that person safely into the fold of Jesus. Only then does He command how His people must live. Let’s face it, obedience is very difficult.

Even so, David inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared my God and King is slow to anger. Think of how often you fail. It is only day 5 of the New Year and I have no doubt many of you have already broken most of your New Year’s resolutions…if you even made any. You’re likely frustrated with yourself. If you have such trouble keeping the one or two resolutions you’ve made, no wonder you neglect to look at the full law of God, turning away because you know you’ve broken so many of them.

God is slow to anger. He is patient with His people. He knows the sins that once dominated you, which must be purged. The habits of corruption must be replaced with holiness. That is the work of His Spirit living within you.

First sinful patterns and behaviors must be identified. The more we read the word, listen to sermons, spend time with fellow Christians, the more we’ll realize how much needs to change in us.
Then, those sins need to be confessed, repented of. Repentance means turning away from the sin and turning to God in renewed obedience to Him.
Third, we recognize sinful patterns are ingrained in you. Be encouraged today. God is slow to anger. He is continually teaching you the righteousness of Jesus Christ until it takes hold of your hearts. Do not think, God must have lost patience with me long ago, especially when other people in your life have lost all patience with you.
Finally, God’s slowness to anger encourages believers who stumble in the pathways of obedience, to learn how to walk confidently in deeper, richer obedience to Him. Practice in obedience increases your ability to live in obedience. As you gain confidence, the Spirit will reveal new areas of life that require greater submission to the authority of God.

Why? Because any area of your life, any part of your heart or mind that is not yielded fully to God is subject to the flesh-eating influence of the Devil. Obedience to God is not dull. It is not the death of all fun; obedience to God is beginning of fullness of life. Jesus declared: “I AM the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). The One Who made you, knows His purposes for you. There is no better way to live, no greater adventure and joy than living for Jesus!

Mighty God, patient Father, all Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD
and all Your saints shall bless You! Amen.
Prayer is based on Psalm 145:10

https://youtu.be/6zTYTnyvk7k?si=nYp3MR3oFYYWCXdq No More Night

January 04, 2026

January 4, 2026 -- Psalm 145:2,8 -- God is gracious and merciful. What does that mean?

January 04, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 145:2,8 ESV

Suppose someone asks you, “Who is God?” Then after a pause adds, “What is He like?” The writer of this Psalm, King David, is expressing his loving devotion, as he stated at the start of this psalm “I will extol you, my God and King”. He gives a beautiful response to those questions. In fact, his answer echoes words spoken by prophets in various places in the Bible. So, as he reflects on what others have said, he realizes their experience and knowledge of God has become his own intimate experience.

The LORD Himself revealed Who He is to Moses. The people of Israel, having newly been freed from 400 years of slavery in Egypt, were at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses was up the mountain for forty days, receiving the 10 commandments, and the people, getting tired and restless, assuming something dreadful had happened to Moses, demanded the priest Aaron, make them new gods. He made them a golden calf. Hideous stuff. When Moses went down the mountain and saw the wickedness of the people, he was furious. God the rescuer of His people, offered Moses to destroy the lot of them, and start over with Moses himself. Moses refused. He prayed to God for the deliverance of the people. The point is, God took His people out of Egypt, now He would continue the work of taking Egypt out of the sinful heart of His people. They’d need to learn Who He Is, how patient and prepared to bring them fully to salvation. That is true for believers in every generation. Once saved from the clutches of the devil the devilry that still lingers in us must be extinguished.

Moses asked to see the LORD. He hid Moses in the cleft of a rock, and as He passed by, declared to Moses Who He Is. Those are the words David repeated here in our Psalm today.

He is gracious, meaning, He Who begins the work of salvation in His people will complete it. Salvation is His work in us, first, last, always.
He is merciful, which means He does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead, He Who knows the worst about us, by His Spirit will reveal these sins so that exposed they can be removed from us and He applies His healing work of sanctification, that is, making His people holy by removing their sins.

Ah, dear fellow believer, when you join with the believers of past ages and generations and reflect on Who God really is and how patient He has been with others, you get a glorious sense of His work in your life. He doesn’t throw you away at the first sign of trouble. He doesn’t junk you at the nearest trash heap because of your life is too hard for Him to fix. No way. He Who is at work in you will complete the transformation He began in you. Hold on to Him. Think about Who He Is. Consider the many ways He has already shown you kindness and grace. As you reflect on these things

You will praise God with greater enthusiasm.
You will be motivated by His Spirit to dig deeper into the word.
You will more clearly see the mercy and the grace our Father has shown you through the work of Jesus, our Savior.
You will be able to give a testimony to anyone who asks you, “what is God like?”

My God and King, I will lift my voice in rapturous praise to You.
I will bless You all the more as I think about Your grace and mercy which have been lavishly poured out on your people in the past, and which You continue to splash so generously over every part of my own life. Spirit of the Living God, as I am instructed by the word and by my own life’s experience as to Who God Is, let my words and actions, my thoughts and motives declare the grace and mercy of God which are so constantly and so richly shown to me in Jesus Christ. Let my life shine out the light of Jesus for all to see. Let those people around me whose lives are a shipwreck, may they be drawn to the light of Jesus which shines out from me and may they then join me in truly knowing You, and then also join the generations of people who declare Your grace and mercy. Amen.

https://youtu.be/TxC16duiHvQ?si=ao71Hz3C8GSc_ljq O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer

January 03, 2026

January 3, 2026 -- Psalm 145:2-3 -- The Name and the LORD

January 03, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145:2-3 ESV

The opening of verses of this Psalm is packed with information about and praise to the LORD our God. What does praise look like? Recently my wife and I were at the airport. There was a young man who had a tablet on his lap, and as I passed by, I could see he was looking at the roster of a world class soccer team. He was also on the phone, speaking animatedly to a friend, explaining why his soccer team would do well at its next match. He cited statistics and past victories and the strengths of individual players to make his (rather loud and enthused) point. That is what praise looks like. It is to be animated about, to be talking about and to spend time thinking about the object of one’s fascination and love. In this Psalm, David blesses and praises the Name forever.

In Hebrew culture one’s name and one’s reputation are bound up together. You can mention the name of a past great soccer player, like the Brazilian star Pele, and people who love the sport can name facts about him. That is an example of a name and reputation that are bound up together. The fact is, Pele is gone. New players with new feats of greatness will one day eclipse him and he will be forgotten. King David praises the Name of God forever and ever because our strong God lives forever and ever. New evidence of His power, His love, His mercy and His saving acts are revealed every day for those who have the eyes to see him, and for all those who have a soul that hungers to be associated with Him.

At the mention of the Name, leads David to declare “great is the LORD”. LORD, when it is spelled all in capitals that way, is a reference to God’s self-revealed name. At the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), the One and Only Strong God declared: “I AM, I WAS, I WILL BE”. Famous men and women rise and fall. They live and then they die. But the works of our glorious God stand forever because the LORD Who makes promises lives forever. He keeps all His promises. He continues to act in ways that are consistent with His majesty and His purposes.

His greatness is unsearchable—that means no one can ever say all there is to be said about the LORD. Though His perfections ever surround Him, human minds can’t comprehend all He Is, nor know all that He does. So, to the limited human mind, the LORD continues to add to His reputation every moment of every day. Reading the Bible shows the greatness of God. Seeing how He has acted in humanity history increases our ability to discern the greatness of God. Looking at the ways in which the LORD works in nations, and peoples, and tribes, and denominations shows the greatness of our God.

Even though our human comprehension is so limited, it is still true the more we know about God, the more we love Him. As we get older and have more life experience walking with Him and knowing Who He is and how patient He is, even more we realize His greatness is so expansive to us individually. So, even when we examine our own lives, we can’t even speak all His has done for us. Eternity will be wonderful because the Holy Spirit will permanently remove the blockages which cause our minds to be sin-restrained mind so after our death at our resurrection we will have the capacity for the knowledge that we were originally created to have. Even now, when a new Christians shares his love for God and shares his testimony declaring the blessedness of the salvation he has in Christ, that man increases to my mind and experience the greatness of our LORD.

What can we say to You, our God and King—except to join with King David and with the saints through-out the ages and generations who declare, Everyday I will bless you and praise Your Name forever and ever. Great are You, LORD, and greatly to be praised. Amen.

https://youtu.be/uHz0w-HG4iU?si=sj7UvX5JR5Cq2P7p Great are You Lord

January 02, 2026

January 2, 2026 -- Psalm 145:1,4 -- My God and King

January 02, 2026/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
Psalm 145:1,4 ESV

Our focus this month will be on the Names and Titles of God. You see, our work as Christians is to commend the works of God (verse 4). That means we will both worship God and teach the knowledge of God to the next generation. The fullness of Who God is so fills our vision and stirs our imagination, we can’t help but teach others who He is. The more we know Him, the more we want to know Him and the more we want others to know Him as well.

It is common in our Bible-reading to by-pass that oft-used title God. In our passage today the title God emphasizes the fact that the Supreme Being is strong. God is mighty, what He says He will do, He will do and no one and no power can oppose Him.

He is King. It is King David who extols the all-powerful one as King. To extol God is to boast in Him and recommend Him to others as the powerful, compassionate monarch. As King our glorious God has the right to demand whole-hearted devotion to Him alone. We are not to toy with the enemy (that is to head toward sin allowing various temptations time to grow in our thoughts) or flirt with betraying Him (which is hanging out with those who hate Him).

Epic movies depict powerful kings as those whose power is broken by spies who have infiltrated the ranks of advisors. Or whose power splinters because commanders of their army revolt and lead powerful rebellions. Psalm 2 has already shown God, the Supreme Being of the Universe, as appointing His Son Jesus to be the King to Whom all thrones, authorities and powers will one day bend their knee. He laughs at the puny threats of subordinates because His power is absolute but this absolute power is coupled with mercy to all who repent of their sins.

Christians know Jesus as the True King Who is subduing every power and enemy while simultaneously praying to the Father for His people to be brought safe into the glory of the new heaven and new earth. Jesus will never be defeated. His reign, which believers now see by the eyes of faith will one day be fully exposed so that all will see Him. Believers willingly now, bow before Him and serve Him. When He returns, every eye will see Him and those who hated Him will on that day wail and cry out in anguish as in terror and awe they immediately fall to their knees before His splendour.

Jesus, my God and my King, blessed are You now and through-out eternity. By the presence of Your Spirit living within me, give me strength both to extol You and to recommend You to those around me. Let my words and my actions be so harmonious that non-believers will be confronted with Your greatness. Forgive me for the many times I just rush through Scripture reading and hastily utter half-hearted prayers. As a devoted soldier willingly marches to the orders of the general he loves, so let me as a soldier of the cross of Christ whole-heartedly serve You, Jesus, my God and my King. Amen.

https://youtu.be/FgLt7jyBhc8?si=BbN08CnVxGrfImEe All Glory, Laud and Honor

December 31, 2025

December 31, 2025 -- Revelation 21:9-14 -- A vision for 2026

December 31, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Revelation 21:9-14 ESV

Context matters. To the thirsty, to those who have overcome the world in Christ, God will give the water of life and publicly confirm the gift already given of being His son, His daughter. But the cowardly, the faithless, those who willingly suppressed the truth of God for the lies of this world, they will be thrown into the lake that burns with sulphur and fire. It is too terrible to contemplate. However, the bible shows, on its every page, the glory of God, His holiness and splendour, must evoke from His creatures a response of worship, honour, glory and praise. To refuse to do so, is a violation of one’s very humanity and raison d’être.

Then the angel showed John, that beloved disciple of Jesus, the one vision (note the vision is a whole, so the book is called Revelation, singular) of would take place. No matter how dire, how twisted, how bloated with evil this world gets to be, there are many who hunger and thirst for God. There are many Christians who serve God fearlessly, in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Such men and women constitute the Bride of Christ—their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. What a spectacular picture is given here, such as inspires every generation of believers, so that no matter the threats, the hardship or the persecution, believers offer their hearts, minds and lives to God promptly and sincerely.

Believers belong to God as His Bride. Precious. Dressed in beautiful robes, which are the righteous works of Jesus Christ and added to this, the work of the Holy Spirit within the believer Who has prompted and continues to prompt such blessed ones to live whole-heartedly for Jesus. What a vision. Sin loses its lustre and temptations becoming like the stench of death when compared to what we already are and how fully what we are now in Christ will be revealed then at the return of Jesus. Believers are part of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem.

Believers already having the glory of God now hidden in Christ, will then have the purified eyes of faith to see the radiant glory that is already ours in Christ. We will see each and know the majesty, love, grace, compassion, the weightiness of what it is to belong to God through the reconciling work of Christ and have this guarded in us by the Holy Spirit. If by prayer, by faith, by practices of holy living following Jesus, believers exercised more now what we are (as it is revealed in this vision) how our lives would be transformed. How we’d delight to worship God. We are radiant with the splendour of Jesus!

Believers are depicted as those who are part of the heavenly Jerusalem. That city with high walls and angel-defended gates. The picture is that no power, no throne, no army, no weapons of any kind, no demon, no dominion, nor any other authority could ever even touch those sacred walls which protect the believer in the unspeakable joy of living in the radiant, majestic, awe-evoking presence of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Dear fellow believer, as 2025 is quickly drawing to a close, with the eyes of faith, see this wonderful vision, that of the ever-drawing-nearer-to-us-in-time New Jerusalem. Those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life are so secure, are so guarded, that no matter what happens here which would attempt to pull us away from Christ, it will not happen. So, live boldly for Jesus. Love Jesus deeply. Follow Him as the Captain of salvation with the full confidence that what you know now by faith will soon be experience, you will be with God radiant with the glory of Jesus and strengthened by the Holy Spirit in your humanity to ever more fully know the magnificent, muti-faceted, splendor of God. May this vision help you to live ever more fully for Jesus all through 2026.

Blessed God, Who is like You in the cosmos, in the heavens, in the depths, or anywhere else in all of creation? There is none like You! You Who chose Your people in Christ already before the foundation of the world, now reconcile Your precious ones to Yourself by His redeeming blood. You Who are glorious, guard Your daughters and sons by the work of Your Holy Spirit. Triune God, hallelujahs, praise and honour and glory belong to You, now and forever more! Blessed God, as 2025 ends and 2026 springs up new, give to us the courage and the boldness of those who know our future in Christ, so that our present living will be fuelled with Holy Spirit vitality to persevere and endure until Jesus returns. Amen.

https://youtu.be/z-yJ3xMVUDI?si=cLwTath0gFostDZm Whate’er My God Ordains is Right

December 29, 2025

December 29, 2025 -- Revelation 3:14 -- Who Jesus Is

December 29, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
Revelation 3:14 ESV

The context is the revelation that which John, the last living and now old, disciple of Jesus received while he was exiled. Seven churches each had a prophetic word spoken to them. John recorded them. These words were instructive for the various congregations then, and they are preserved because they’re important for us today.

Each church has an angel. A guardian sent by God to carry out His purposes of both blessing and judgment. In each of the seven prophetic words spoken to the churches, there is a specific series of titles and names given to Jesus.

First off, Jesus is the Amen. All the promises of God find their “yes”, their fulfilment in Jesus.
Second, the word order in the original language is different. Jesus is the witness, the original word is martyr (from which we derive our word martyr, one who willingly dies for the Christian faith).
Jesus is the witness Who is both faithful and true. He is completely reliable. He is completely believable. He is trustworthy. All this is so because He is True. He is both in Himself the embodiment of truth, and His every word and deed are truth expressed.
Jesus is the beginning of God’s creation. Here many folks stumble. They wonder, is Jesus second somehow after God? Did Jesus Himself have a beginning? That is not what is in view here. Beginning also means originator. It means ruler. It carries the sense that without Jesus nothing was made (as is explicit in John 1:3 and Colossians 1:15ff).

Knowing these things means when we pray to our Father in heaven, we have the rock-solid assurance He hears us because of Jesus, the Amen. When we read the Gospels, we are confident of the life and work of Jesus and its salvific impact on us. He is faithful. He is true. He is our confidence. He is the fullest, most glorious, most radiant witness to the work of the Father, which began before the foundation of the world, to choose some people in love and reconcile them to Himself through Jesus Christ. He Who is the surety of God’s salvation, is also the ruler, mighty to finish what God decreed for our salvation. Our glorious God directs His angels to guard you and keep watch over you—but that is scant comfort compared to the greater, more wondrous truth that Jesus Himself loves us and His radiance is brighter than a thousand suns. What a guardian of our souls is He!

LORD JESUS,
If I love You, my soul shall seek You,
but can I seek You unless my love for You
is kept alive to this end?
Do I love You because You are good,
and You alone can do me good?
It is fitting You should not regard me,
for I am vile and selfish;
yet I seek You,
and when I find You there is no wrath
to devour me,
but only sweet love.
You stand as a rock between the scorching sun
and my soul,
and I live under the cool lee-side as one elect.
When my mind acts without You
it spins nothing but deceit and delusion;
when my affections act without you
nothing is seen but dead works.
O, how I need You to abide in me,
for I have not natural eyes to see You,
but I live by faith in one whose face to me
is brighter than a thousand suns!
When I see that all sin is in me,
all shame belongs to me;
let me know that all good is in You,
all glory is Yours.
Keep me from the error of thinking
You appear gloriously
when some strange light fills my heart
as if that were the glorious activity of grace,
but let me see that the truest revelation of Yourself
is when you eclipse all my personal glory
and all honour, pleasure, and good of this world.
The Son breaks out in glory
when He shows Himself as one
Who outshines all creation,
makes men poor in spirit,
and helps them to find their good in Him.
Grant that I may distrust myself
to see my all in You. Amen.
Puritan Prayer and Devotions, LOVE TO JESUS

https://youtu.be/GnagUvvpGjw?si=tC5FLPccpw8RIkd1 Abide with Me

December 27, 2025

December 27, 2025 -- Philippians 3:12-14 -- Leaving the past behind, moving forward to Jesus

December 27, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 ESV

What a statement from Paul! I wonder how often congregants in the various church plants which he started, or to whom he wrote letters of encouragement, knowing all his past sins felt revulsion against his words? He was a Pharisee. He was a murderer, approving the murder of the New Testament’s first martyr, Stephen. He imprisoned many people for their faith in Jesus Christ. I wonder, after his conversion, how many of those people he'd arrested were still languishing in prison? Just because Paul had converted, didn’t mean the people he’d persecuted were now free. In every congregation there’d be people who were furious with him for the family members he'd arrested, grieved because Paul has orchestrated the death of a loved one.

In chapters 1 and 2 Paul gave an excellent theology of community, of forgiveness, and then a great reflection on the work of God, which once He’d started it in a believer, He’d see that person’s salvation on to completion. Now Paul himself is exercising such faith and hope. He will not sit in the ashes and depravity of his past. He confesses freely he was the worst of sinners (I Timothy 1:15), but he is not stuck in that label. Because of the great grace of God in his life he can forget what lies behind. He does not let his past rule his future. Saved by the amazing grace of the Father, Who has reconciled Paul to Himself in Christ, he is fueled by the Holy Spirit to move on, confidently knowing his future is bound up in Christ. Therefore, he is focusing on Jesus. Longing for Jesus. Trusting His Father in heaven that Jesus is his all in all.

What a glorious salvation that is. No doubt, each one of us has so much baggage from our “before Christ” life. Even as Christians, there are so many things which still weigh us down. There are sins and griefs and broken relationships which are so painful. We are not perfect. We need the forgiveness of God and His healing kindness to us personally, in our families, in our communities, in our churches, in our denominations, among us as denominations and through-out the whole body of Christ. We have not already obtained all that is ours in Christ—but what we have already received is so glorious, and as we meditate on it, we realize it is so hope-inspiring, that we are encouraged all-over-again to press on to make the fullness of life in Christ ever more fully our own.

Gracious Father blessed are You! Scripture declares You Faithful to Your children, even though we are often so faithless. Merciful Father, thank You for the rich salvation which is ours in Christ. Covenant-Keeping, Loving Father, thank You for the work of the Holy Spirit Who guards us in Christ and preserves us so that we can persevere in the work of straining forward to the goal of full life in Christ. Amen.

https://youtu.be/gwHs6zcGxrA?si=8GeGEdcybawNITUw It Is Well with My Soul

December 25, 2025

December 25, 2025 -- John 1:1-5 -- Repetition and more devoted worship

December 25, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~hear and obey Jesus!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5 ESV

Merry Christmas dear family and friends in Jesus Christ! We sing familiar hymns and psalms and carols. We read familiar Scripture passages, like the one printed today. There is so much repetition. Is it boring? Not at all! Consider these insightful words, penned by Sinclair Ferguson:
Perhaps, after all, it is not merely repetition as such.
There is nothing repetitive (repeat, nothing!) about
the worship of God. Our words can never mean
simply and exactly the same every time we use
them. We better understand the seraphim as they
exclaim ‘holy art thou’ in their worship, if we
grasp that every time they utter the praise of God
and reflect on his holiness they experience an
ever fresh sense of what that word means as they
peer through their wings at his glory.
Sinclair Ferguson, Devoted to God’s Church.
East Peoria: Versa Press Inc., 2022, page 68.

To put it another way at Christmas, many of us take time to express our thanks to our dear friends for all they have done in the last year, (or years). Standing by us when times were tough. They encouraged us. Prayed for us. Simply silent there with us when there was nothing to say. So, at Christmas, when we say thank you, there is a greater fullness, and more joy in repeating these words. Though you may have already have said thanks to your friends so often, expressed why you value your friendship regularly, each new time it is repeated, there is a greater fervency, because more time has elapsed, more evidence of the depth of the friendship has been revealed. It is like that with God, except it is magnified.

Our repeated worship and praise is richer. It is infinitely greater. The God of all eternity stepped into time and revealed such wondrous love in Jesus Christ that our words often fail to capture our awe and blessedness. We repeat the songs of praise, the carols of love and the psalms of devotion, and powered by the Spirit’s presence in our souls, our worship is deeper, more honest, more-heart-felt each time. Because the longer we live, the more of God’s grace and kindness we understand. The darkness of this world, the stresses imposed by sin and the wreckage our oft-repeated rebellions are overcome by the light of Jesus Christ Who shines, piercing the veil of darkness that once gripped us. In His light we see light.

Our Father in heaven, how precious and immense is the salvation You have given us in Jesus Christ. Spirit of the Living God, take our words, our carols, and our prayers, so oft repeated, as soul-meant, sincere, offerings of worship. In the repetition of them, may we realize the depth of Your love to us and increase our love, hope, joy, peace and devotion to You, Triune God of Glory. Amen.

https://youtu.be/9Bwn0k0k8xI?si=gnTNNY0ACAkixphm “Hark! the herald angels sing

December 23, 2025

December 23, 2025 -- Mark 3:27 -- The expulsive power of love

December 23, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
Mark 3:27 ESV

Dear readers, we have spent most of the month of December exploring the power of sin. Today is the final examination of it and then we’ll also turn to what defeats the sin of our hearts and mind and soul. Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847), sometimes called Scotland’s greatest nineteenth century preacher. Several times in the last month or so, in sermons and readings, there’s been a reference to Chalmers. Thought it’d be good to explore. What I read was powerful indeed.

Why is sin so tenacious, keeping a stranglehold on us? Jesus offered the image of sin’s rule in as the reign of a strong man zealously guarding its hapless prisoner in bondage to sin, guilt, shame and hopelessness. If that is true, then, to summarize Chalmers, why not just give a stirring explanation of the destructive tendency of sin so that the hearer will hate his sin and leave it? Chalmers noted:
     It will now be seen, perhaps, why it is that the heart keeps by its
     present affections with so much tenacity- when the attempt is, to
     do them away by a mere process of extirpation. It will not consent
     to be so desolated. The strong man, whose dwelling-place is there,
     may be compelled to give way to another occupier- but unless
     another stronger than he, has power to dispossess and to succeed
     him, he will keep his present lodgment unviolable. The heart would
     revolt against its own emptiness. Page 4 The Expulsive power of a
     New Affection.
Basically, the heart abhors a vacuum. If one tried to kill the strongman of sin, he’ll fail because a man persuaded that his sin is bad, will not, unless he’s found a more powerful affection, let his heart stay empty. Something else must take hold, something greater, all-together consuming.

Here we turn a corner and examine what has the power to evict sin. Again, read Chalmers:
     Neither they nor any one else can dispossess the heart of an old
     affection, but by the expulsive power of a new one- and, if that
     new affection be the love of God, neither they nor any one else
     can be made to entertain it, but on such a representation of the
     Deity, as shall draw the heart of the sinner towards Him.
     Page 8 ibid.
Basically, a man who thought he was in love, will, when he meets his true love, willingly leave the old love. When love is rich, deep, true, enveloping, everything else is forgotten. That is the work of the Strongman, Jesus. People won’t leave their comfortable sins and habitual rebellions for a mere moral value or new set of rules. However, one will lay down his life, and willingly take up a new affection when the expulsive power of the Father’s love, demonstrated in Jesus Christ, grabs his heart by the Holy Spirit.

Chalmers notes that preaching should stir the imagination. Descriptions of the knowledge of God and living in relationship with Him must be so graphic, and genuine, and glorious that the hearer knows, Jesus the Strongman, has bound the enemy and cast him out for good. Then the strong love one has for Jesus, Who is the rescue story, will capture the heart, move the mind, and touch every subsequent action.

Lord Jesus Christ, plunder my heart. Evict every squatter still lingering in it after sin’s expulsion. Spirit of God, so fill my imagination and my heart with the glorious rule of Jesus that all other affections, all old loves, are completely forgotten. Father in heaven, make my heart a fit dwelling for Your love. Amen.

https://youtu.be/Pr2RG-xR2lA?si=ldXm4bElQq1Nu7KA Prince of Peace

Microsoft Word - Chalmers, Thomas - The Exlulsive Power of a New Af

December 22, 2025

December 22, 2025 -- Galatians 6:14 -- The world crucified to me and I to the world

December 22, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Galatians 6:14 ESV

As we continue to examine sin—its far-reaching, devastating effects on us—consider the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Is there some part of your life which you are refusing to surrender at his
behest, some sinful passion, maybe, or some animosity, some hope,
perhaps your ambition or your reason? If so you must not be surprised
that you have not received the Holy Spirit. The cross is laid on every
Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience
is the call to abandon the attachments to this world…The cross is not the
terrible ending to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us
at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man,
he bids him come and die. (As quoted in Sinclair Ferguson, Devoted to
God’s Church, East Preoria: THE BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST, reprinted
2022, page 42.)

Why is Christ not all-together lovely to you? Ask yourself, what are you not surrendering.

Why is the Christian life a drudgery and duty that seems hollow and hard? Ask yourself what passion you are holding onto instead of clinging to Jesus for dear life which in turn results in life that is dear and sweet.

The apostle Paul’s own life bears witness to his costly love for Jesus. At the cross Paul laid down his former justifications, his old way of life, he left religious colleagues and status. He despised the old system, the old way of life and his own pride. Thus humbled, the Spirit aided him until his heart emptied of himself, and he was strengthened in his inner man to fully receive the Father’s love which was so extravagantly his in Christ.

Why do some Christians claim there is no suffering in the Christian life—at least not in North America? I would argue it is because they have not met Christ who bid him come and die. Your former life consisted of, embraced in fact, sin and rebellion. When a man or woman has been made alive in Christ, the world is exposed as rotting flesh and the stench the emanates from it. The beginning of our communion with Christ is an experience of death, the awareness of how dead we were in sin. Life in Christ is the refusal to return to pathways of sin and rebellion against God. Life in Christ is wondrous, free, sweet.

Our Father in heaven, You are compassionate and glorious! Thank You for raising us from death to life through Jesus Christ. Spirit of the Living God, shine the word into every crevice of our heart and every hidden corner, so that all lingering sin and any hoarded shred of our old life is removed. Shine in us, and through us, Holy Spirit, so that the world is crucified to us, and we to the world. Then Spirit of God, cause our communion with Jesus to flower, to deepen, and continually bear the rich fruit of life and this to the glory of our Father in heaven. Amen.

https://youtu.be/-BUpskcVd_k?si=hrjjOqa0auqSQ4Rx I Make my Life a Prayer to You

December 21, 2025

December 21, 2025 -- Matthew 6:25,32 -- Secure in Your Father's Love

December 21, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on…For Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
Matthew 6:25,32 ESV

Whenever you read the word “therefore” in the bible ask yourself what is it there for? What happened just before this? Before this teaching, Jesus taught His disciples to pray: “Our Father in heaven”. You know the prayer so well. You realize a significant petition, or request contained in the prayer are these words “give us this day our daily bread”. Everything we need for life and godliness are bound up in that little-seeming request, which is, as you can see, a huge request. Those who are assured of their Father’s love and aware of His bountiful care, when they pray, confidently trust in His provision.

The closer context is the teaching of treasures stored up on earth, or those stored up in heaven. Whatever, or whomever you are serving proves which master you are serving. If you have truly placed your treasure in heaven, then you will be looking up, knowing that God is all-powerful, able to hear and answer your prayers. As your thoughts are focused on heavenly matters, you realize Jesus Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand. Jesus, our Mediator, sent by the Father to reconcile us, sinners though we were, to achieve the cross-won reconciliation whereby we are freed of our sins and shame, and Spirit-enabled to turn to God.

Interesting, isn’t it, that Jesus is teaching precisely what He is living. He doesn’t have a home. No bank account. No shelter bed He goes to. He is a wandering preacher, dependent on God for His food and drink and His clothes. He lived each day confident of His heavenly Father’s provision. Above all, Jesus was confident in His Father’s love. The circumstances of His life were all perfectly arranged so that as a Man, Jesus would live a life completely dependent on His Father’s provision. Jesus lived, assured that fruitful and lean years, any money or any poverty He had came to Him not by chance, but from the Fatherly, merciful, hand of God.

Anxiety is thrown down precisely because believers have their Father in heaven. He is a good Father. He is a faithful Father. He is a proven Father, Who has always supplied the needs of His people in times past. Understand, your greatest need is knowing God intimately. The single-longing for which you were created is to be in fellowship with the Divine One, Who fashioned you for relationship with Himself. When you look back on your life, you’ll see how all circumstances worked together to bring you into an awareness of your sin, show you your need to unburden yourself of that sin, and then, most importantly, your greatest need and pleasure in life which is to walk in close communion with God. The result of that is that your sins will never again gain control of your life. God Who called you, Who through Jesus reconciled you and removed your shame, is the same God Who by His Spirit will guard you in rich fellowship with Himself. That chain of salvation gives the LORD’s people the confidence of His covenant love which allows them to serve God, no matter what else is going on in their life. Therefore, since God is our Father, therefore, since God loves us and has faithfully proven His love to us in Christ, we are not anxious.

Our Father in heaven, we bless You. Thank You for Your faithful provision in every area of our life. Teach us to trust in You. By the reconciling work of Jesus, let our confidence in You grow and our devoted love for You increase. By the ever-present work of the Holy Spirit, let the light of Your love and Your work in us, draw many others to You as they see our confident security in Your great love. Amen.

https://youtu.be/TxC16duiHvQ?si=fx8WA3knCDi4g2oC O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer

December 20, 2025

December 20, 2025 -- Psalm 90:15 -- Crying out for the never-ending, soul-satisfying love of God

December 20, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the power of the Spirit: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Psalm 90:14 ESV

What a glorious prayer request is available to believers. The writer, Moses, has in verse 13, acknowledged the familiar feeling of being far from God (return, O LORD!). This is the same Moses of whom God said, “I speak to Moses face to face” (Exodus 33:11). How devastating it must be when Moses who was familiar with the nearness of the compassionate, gracious God should now feel instead the absence of that majestic, comforting, glorious presence. He is hungering and thirsting for the Living God and therefore demands to be satiated with God’s fulfilling love.

Moses knew that the steadfast love of God is always nearby. The steadfast love of God is a translation of the famous Hebrew word hēsēd. Hēsēd love emphasizes the covenant faithfulness of God. His unfailing love that is within reach of all who seek their gracious Father with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.

It is our sinfulness, our waywardness, our toying with sin, our focus on things present, or circumstances which divert our eyes from the warmth of our Father’s love and presence. The morning sets the tone for the whole day. Crying out for the renewal of one’s awareness of the love of God is pictured in my brain as an infant in a crib, just awake, who cries for the nearness of a parent. Though the monitor is on, though the parent is near, the infant has hands outstretched longing to be embraced, because fear has caused him to think maybe his parent is far away. More than having a diaper changed, more than eating, the desire is for the sensation of the arms of a parent securely wrapped round about him, the sweet closeness of being in the bosom of the parent with the warmth of breath on the neck.

Why are some of our days, or weeks, so difficult? Why are we off to a bad start of a day and a worse finish to our day? Could it be we have neglected to cry out to God? Could it be we have become so familiar to our soul’s urgent longings for God and substituted things, busy-ness, addictions, people or other loves in the place of the steadfast love of God? Eventually we are numbed. Our familiar soul-need-and-longing for the Presence of our Father is thrust aside by habitual neglect—well, then it should be no surprise when we are left wondering where God went?

Ah, this is the beauty of Christmas. The steadfast, wall-smashing, door-busting, soul-chasing love of God never ceases. His mercies are new every morning. He has demonstrated this most clearly in Jesus Christ—Who left His Father’s throne, becoming incarnate as a man. He is Immanuel, God with us. Taking our sinfulness, bearing the punishment for our sins. Taking away our shame far from us so that we can call out to the Father with the assurance we are heard, we will be heard, we have been heard. It is the compassion of God which brought about the reconciling work of Jesus, so that all who call out to God, “satisfy me in the morning with Your loyal, never-ending love” are soul-strengthened by the Spirit to make this plea. Be assured, He is near. His embrace warms you.

Return, O LORD!
Have pity on us, Your people.
Forgive us our half-hearted service and our prayerless prayers.
Satisfy us once again, this morning, with Your strong, faithful love. Amen.

https://youtu.be/sriugl-nO38?si=mvfykpz83m7YHnEI Immanuel

December 17, 2025

December 17, 2025 -- Jeremiah 17:10 -- Sin, blame-shifting, and God's amazing healing

December 17, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The heart is deceitful above all things,
   and desperately sick;
   who can understand it?
I the LORD search the heart
   and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
   according to the fruit of his deeds.
Jeremiah 17:10 ESV

In Hebrew heart is kidneys, or guts. You know the expression, “I feel it in my guts”, right? In Hebrew culture the seat of emotions and the place where unconscious decisions are formed is in the deep, inner place. So much of what we do flows from the inner heart, which is, as God reveals to His people, deceitful and sick. It needs to be tested. It needs to be purified. God searches the heart and tests the mind, He provides pains, trials, circumstances and experiences in life which require a believer to rely on the Holy Spirit and ask, “Am I going it alone, or am I really trusting God for all I need?”

When we realize how deep-rooted sin is, how it has penetrated to the emotive centre and the rational brain so that even our self-examination is even tainted, it is at that moment we realize what we’re fighting. And, thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, we also realize how great is the work of God effected in us.

What is sin? Even in our repentance we can sin. Tim Keller calls it “counterfeit repentance”. “One counterfeit is blame shifting. ‘I’m sorry, but you know it really isn’t my fault.’ But real repentance takes full responsibility for your sin. One way to shift blame is to justify our sin. The seventeenth-century writer Thomas Brooks called it ‘painting sin with virtue’s colors.’ We look at ourselves and say, ‘I’m not greedy, I’m just thrifty;’ ‘I’m not proud, just assertive…” Timothy Keller, Forgive. Penguin Books, 2022, page 143).

When the LORD of Glory has, by His Spirit, illuminated the deceitfulness of your heart and revealed to you the sickness of your mind, the counterattack begins. Sin’s warped protectiveness is to shift blame, to cause many distractions so that the heart and mind tell you: “Listen, you do not really need to repent, do not need to change according to the perfections of God’s holiness.” That is blame shifting. Excuses then follow. “I know I did this bad thing, but I was forced to do it”. Or, “I had no other choice.” The penetrating light of the Spirit holding high the Word of God, which cuts away lies from their clinging, parasitic hold on you, will not let you wriggle away unchanged.

Thanks be to God, He reveals our waywardness. Thanks be to God He shows how deceitful and desperately sick the heart is—once the diagnosis is made, the appropriate remedy can be applied. When the Spirit has shown you your sin, confess it. No excuses. No blame-shifting. No counter accusations against others. Own it. Confess it. Repent of it. To repent is to decisively turn away from that sin and make the commitment ever to go back to it. Wherever necessary to stay true to God, do that, so that you move further away from sin and closer to the God blesses your trust in Him (Jeremiah 17:7). Furthermore, acknowledge, those around you have as deceitful a heart as you have and as desperately a sick heart and mind as you do. Be patient. Kind. Enduring the backlash of others until the Spirit, in grace and love, rescues your brother or sister and restores to them the joy of true fellowship. By the way, there are others who are already treating you that way. These fellow Christians, having been healed of their own significant sins and lawlessness, wait for you, are patient with you, as they trust the Spirit will, by His gracious timing and love, finally show to you your significant sins and lawlessness. When you repent and join them in declaring the goodness of God, you will realize in all things, the reconciling work of Jesus is revealed, and the patience of God is proven to be glorious.

Oh God, Whose Name is the LORD—faithful, true, holy in all You do—blessed are You. Thank You for the great salvation You have forged in us through Jesus Christ. Thank You, that by Your Spirit, You are making this rich and glorious salvation effective in every part of the heart, mind and soul of your people. Thank You that You work in us individually, and that You work in us through family, through covenant community and church family. Amen.

https://youtu.be/tGohh1gGTug?si=YhyHpnCSbR9n42bN Gentri: Still, Still

December 16, 2025

December 16, 2025 -- Proverbs 16:22 -- Conquering sin by relationship with the Source of All Good

December 16, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
Proverbs 16:22 ESV

The proverbs are notoriously hard to translate. There are snippets of wisdom packed closely together and the context changes so rapidly. No wonder one translation varies so much from others. The underlying Hebrew gives wonderful access to the meaning of the words. A variant translation, emphasizing the Hebrew word order would read like this: “A fount of life is wisdom for its owner, but the instruction of fools is folly”. At first glance it just seems like there is a slight change in word order, but more is going on.

The word fountain can mean a deep well, like a deep well of knowledge or good sense, and it can mean a fountain, a welling up of water to eternal life. It is ever flowing. It is fresh and pure. The word “good sense” is wisdom as one who is in relationship with God. It is the contrast to those who are fools, or foolish—that is, godless in their thinking. The one with good sense, that is someone who has moral wisdom that flows from a living, deep relationship with God, is said to be husband to such wisdom. The blasé ESV version renders it “has it”, it being a reference to wisdom. The original language uses the word master or husband. Wisdom is such a key component of the believer’s life that he is married to it. He is faithful to it. He is devoted to wisdom, as much as a man who loves his wife is devoted to her.

Fools on the other hand get their instruction, or their education from folly, or godlessness. They are unteachable. Ungovernable. Stagnant in their thinking. It is a very dark description of the condition of the mind of a fool. Scripture notes that a fool is anyone who says, or lives, as if God is not fully in charge of all things. He is a fool because all of life declares the nearness and the glory of God and he is putting his hands over his eyes, and his ears and shutting his mind to any form of learning which might lead him to know God as Father, Jesus as the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit as the instructor in all truth.

What is sin? According to this passage in the Proverbs, sin is a stubborn, persistent unwillingness to know God. Sin is the refusal to see what is plainly evident in all of creation. Sin is the obtuse refusal to consider God the Father as the source of all good.

What is the antidote? It is to get married to wisdom. When you first enter a relationship, you meet someone you’re interested in and there is much joy. You ask questions. You spend time. You can’t wait to meet again. Eventually, you marry this person. It is the intimate giving up of oneself wholly to the other. You realize at the one-year mark, you didn’t really know who you’d married, there is much more to learn and know. At the ten-year mark there is still so much unexplored, as children enter into your life and you realize the complexity of your partner which is highlighted by this new stage in life. So it is with knowing God. The more time you spend with Him, the more you desire Him. The more you desire Him and know Him the more you realize He is a purifying fountain of life, welling up within you. He leads you by His Spirit. He refreshes your soul. He enables you to understand your life—both the good times and the times of hardship and pain. As you look back and review your life, you realize that the longer you know God, the more there is to know. What joy unspeakable and full of glory there is in wisdom that is anchored in a relationship with God.

Your word promises, “blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD”. Faithful Father, that is so true and we confess to robbing ourselves of Your rich, varied, persistent blessings because of our half-hearted-low-tolerance-for-pain relationship with You. By the reconciliation You have worked through Jesus Christ, give us the joy of Your salvation. By the bond of the Holy Spirit renew in us a dedication to obey You and whole-heartedly serve You, with the result that the more we do serve You, the more we desire to do so. May we then find, the more we begin to serve You, we realize we hardly know You at all, but what we know of You leads us to adore You, longing to adore You more. We love You, longing to love You more. We find in holy service to You, our life’s calling and greatest pleasure, and our zeal to serve You is multiplied and enriched, leading to a more profound desire to know You. Amen.

https://youtu.be/oeqDmSwllRY?si=PhZr7j9aM-6wRQNc “The Trumpet Shall Sound”

December 14, 2025

December 14, 2025 -- Genesis 6:5 -- Examining the source of impulses and deeds

December 14, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 6:5 ESV

What is sin? The late Tim Keller (1950 – 2023) continued to refine his definition of sin; noting not only is it disordered worship, but it is the "heart desire of every person to be his or her own Savior and Lord". Why did the LORD send the great flood upon the earth that destroys every person on the earth, except believing Noah and his wife, their three sons and daughters in law? Our text this morning explains it. He sent the flood because every person on the earth constantly rejected God and instead of worshiping the LORD by obedience to His commands, fulfilled his own desires, lusts, intentions and wants.

What does it look like when a man desires to be his own savior and lord?

A man figures he is good, able to save himself when he disregards the word of God.
A man acts according to the tyranny of his faithless desires of his heart when he does not submit heart, mind, intentions and will fully to the direction of God.
A man will gladly sing secular songs but recoils at the suggestion of singing psalms and hymns. They are too foreign, too weird to his rebellious heart.
A man proves he is own savior and lord whenever he knows what is right and do not do it. For example, he will go to secular concerts, enjoy the theatre, but the thought of going to church is mere duty and drudgery.
A man lives as his own savior and lord when he does not consider how near the end of his life really is. When death comes, a man’s utter inability to change the course of his eternal destiny (hell) is confirmed.

When a man is new creation in Jesus Christ, the old desires, lusts, and the tyranny of self-rule is exposed. The Holy Spirit shines the word of truth into the mind and heart of the believer and exposes every instance of celebrating one’s own superiority or ability to save. Seeing the corrupt worship of the heart and the constant inclination to serve its own evil thoughts and intentions is revealed as vile. Therefore, the believer, seeing the true condition of his sin-riddled heart, loves the Word of God as the pathway of salvation. The believer renounces the tyranny of his heart and its godless intentions and prays the prayer of Jesus, “Father, You will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. He desires the heavenly will of the Father to infuse the very impulses of his heart. The believer will begin to see where the wicked intentions of the heart are reawakened and stirred up and will leave off the former activities in which he so readily used to engage. He will gladly go to join with the people of God in worship. He will delight in knowing his life and even his death is in the care of Jesus, His true Lord and Savior so that for him to live is Christ and to die is gain (as Paul so eloquently stated it in Philippians 1:21).

Glorious Father, thank You for the grace and peace You have lavished on Your people through our Lord Jesus Christ. By the work of Your Spirit in the depths of the inner person, where will is formed and impulses originate, completely wipe out the root of sin and grant that devotion to Christ will be the highest standard and the greatest good from which will flow every other action of our life. Forgive us for the unregulated thoughts, the unexamined impulses, the reckless selfishness that still seeps from within and through us, instructing us in wickedness and evil. Renew in us the joy of Your salvation so that worshiping You among Your people is a delight. Spirit of God, restore to us the joy of Your salvation so that we willingly submit our impulses and desires and actions wholly to Jesus and this to the glory of our Father in heaven. Amen.

https://youtu.be/y3gWwGDGgVA?si=t4jMMtLqFSnnSFeq “Take My Life and Let it Be”

December 12, 2025

December 12, 2025 -- Proverbs 12:12-14 -- The zombie-parasite of sin and its antidote

December 12, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~hear and obey Jesus!

Whoever is wicked covets the spoils of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
but the righteous escapes from trouble.
From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,
and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him. Proverbs 12:12-14 ESV

Have you ever heard of zombie mice? Sound like the plot of a “B” movie, doesn’t it? A mouse infected with toxoplasma gondii has a parasite that radically affects the behavior of the mouse. This toxoplasma gondii works on the brain of the mouse such that it no longer has a fear of cats. When a cat eats the numbed, fearless, infected mouse, the life cycle of the parasite continues in the cat. Does that ever sound like sin!

Look at the recklessness that sin evokes from the man or woman infected by it. The wicked man (one so infected by the parasitic machinations of sin) longs for, studies, constantly thinks about whatever it is that evildoers have. They want what they don’t have. They crave it. The more they focus on it, the more alluring it is. The more the parasite of sin lures them to the jaws of self-destruction and death.

The perverted longing of the heart, infected by the parasite of embedded sin, will keep that sinner babbling on about the very thing that is killing him. The people all around him can see the death it is bringing, the reckless behavior that accompanies it, but obliviously, he talks on, mocks on, and walks right to his death.

Sin, as defined by Tim Keller, (who in turn got it from Romans 1) is disordered worship. But it doesn’t stop there. When someone is captivated by sin, staring at it, longingly considering it, such delinquent behavior evokes more delinquent behavior. Sin generates more sin as its parasitic nature means it will multiply in its host and lead the host to death.

The antidote is found in our reading in Proverbs. A righteous man and a righteous woman are those, healed in Christ, who know the holiness of God and express it in daily life. They had the infectious parasite of sin raging in them. But the Spirit of God restrained the full extent of their sin. The Spirit of God brought them to the point of self-awareness, so they realized their utter neediness and helplessness. The Father grafted them into Jesus Christ—the root and true vine of all holiness. They were not naturally fruitful. They were not naturally able to do any good work. It was and is the life-giving, hope-restoring, fruit-bearing life of Jesus working in them that broke the cycle of sin and its parasitic influence.

When a righteous man sees a sinner, he realizes the stupefying effects it has on its hosts, and he prays even more earnestly for the sinner. When a righteous woman sees an evildoer, she has compassion, knowing herself how controlling and tyrannical its effects are on its host. Therefore, the righteous man and the righteous woman do not join in wickedness, but escape trouble through greater union with Jesus and Spirit-fueled love for the Father, Who effected this rescue. Christians are not better than zombie sinners, they are grateful hosts of the Spirit of Jesus Who leads them in good and godly works.

Our Father in heaven, thank You for rescuing us from the parasitic, death-inducing, tyranny of sin. Blessed be Your Name. Thank You, Jesus, for the inestimable love which You have demonstrated toward us at Your incarnation, and by Your life, suffering, crucifixion, death, resurrection, session to the Father’s right hand and now Your rule in glory. Holy Spirit, thank You for maintaining our connection to Jesus through in-grafting, and enabling the healing life which flows from the root of Jesus’ righteousness to inoculate us against every sin and curse so that we are satisfied with good. Amen.

https://youtu.be/NPlVhCZUR68?si=64wy6GG8GSFbfo72 The Lord’s Prayer

December 11, 2025

December 11, 2025 -- Romans 1:24-25 -- Sin defined as disordered worship

December 11, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Romans 1:24-25 ESV

As we continue this series on “what is sin” we’re examining the reflections of well-known preachers and theologians. The late Tim Keller called sin fundamentally disordered worship. You can see from the passage in Romans 1 the source of this definition. Earlier in Romans 1, Paul describes the fact that wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness (verse 18). The heavens declare the glory of God, the divine attributes of God, the Creator can be discerned through creation, but men suppress the truth.

Have you ever tried to hold a beach ball underwater? The air in the beach ball will constantly push against you as the air forces the orb towards the surface. So it is with people who try to suppress the truth about God and His worthiness to be worshiped. As much as one will try to suppress worshiping Him, one will inevitably know he is pushing against the truth of His creation, His presence, His commands and His right to be worshiped and praised. Whenever God “pops up” folks, in their disordered love, will try to push Him down again. Away from thoughts. Away from accountability. Away from influencing how they ought to live knowing they were made for God and to worship Him and Him alone.

What is the result of disordered worship? Well, people begin to serve the creature, rather than the Creator. No wonder porn sites are always busy. No wonder men and women debase their bodies in all kinds of illicit affairs. No wonder folks are addicted to shopping, to gaming, to alcohol, to food, to drugs and so on. As soon as one tries to hold the beach ball of God’s incredible worth, holiness and blessedness down, it will, inevitably pop up again.

Ultimately, those who do not confess their disordered worship will, at the end of time, face the wrath of God. No mercy will be shown, for they have trampled the Son, Jesus, Who was sent to rescue them from this disordered worship. Those who suppress the truth in this life, will for eternity, be punished by the just anger of God. He Who made us, Who sustains all people, day and night, has every right to the honour due His Name. It is why Paul ended this section with the doxology, that is, words of praise to God “the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen (verse 25). Even His wrath and the defense of His holiness is witness to His greatness and His forbearance. While people lived, and there was every opportunity to know Him, and re-orient their worship towards Him, they did not.

Today is the day of salvation. Today as the world is marching toward the celebration of Christmas, the time when the Incarnation of Jesus is celebrated, re-order your life and your worship. Turn to God the Father, through the accomplished work of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit submit your will, your words and your daily walk to Him. Truly He is forever blessed.

God of royal splendour and all-glory, blessed be Your Name now and forevermore. Assist us, by Your Holy Spirit, to turn from all false and distorted worship, and in awe, love and wonder worship You alone. Encourage us, in true community, to call one another to acts of obedience and holy service and times of gathering with Your people for holy worship. Revive us, so that our lives, our public and private worship, reflect the glory of Your Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/sTg4BhoKevE?si=pgz56V_7JySAqJfD O Come, Let Us Adore Him

December 10, 2025

December 10, 2025 -- Matthew 5:2-10 -- Consider how blessed we are in Christ

December 10, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons[a] of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:2-10 ESV

Read those as a requirement to get into heaven, and the deafening accusations of our own sinfulness and waywardness will immediately prove how disqualified we are. We can’t do what Jesus taught. Are these beatitudes, these expressions of “blessed are” entrance requirements or are they the blessings that attend believers who follow Jesus Christ? It is the latter. Because we are in Christ,

We are aware of our poverty of spirit and our ever-greater desire for Jesus--the more we see our failure and know we need in the light of Christ, the more we are aware we are heirs of the Kingdom of heaven by the accomplished work of our elder brother, Jesus.
We mourn over our sin, because, as believers, we realize we are always sinning--our spirit guided by the Spirit desires Jesus, but our flesh pulls against this--the more we recognize this and therefore hate our sin and grieve over it the more we realize how much our sin contributed to Jesus' suffering; and consequently, all the more we rejoice in hope and greater still is our comfort because Jesus, for the joy set before Him, did not scorn the cross or its suffering, but did instead endure it unto the glory of God and for the glory of bringing many sons and daughters to their rightful Father.
The Christian is meek, that is humble--aware that his only boast is Jesus Christ and therefore, through Him he inherits the earth. Believers do not need to gather armies with guns and battleships, for by the Holy Spirit, believers engage hearts and minds for the kingdom. Who can stand when Jesus appears and the glory of His presence breaks on the awareness of the one listening to your testimony? We humbly share the glories of Jesus and His appointed ones are brought into the ranks of the Captain of our Salvation.
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness--see where it is on the list, all those previous blessings are lavished on God’s children, then as believers in Christ, we are keenly aware of our poverty of spirit. We don’t bring anything to the table. God hasn’t chosen us because we’re strong, or brave, or good, or capable, or rich, or talented. No way. We were steeped in sin and rebellious against Him. So, we mourn over our lingering sin and are ever more humbled as we see how persistently God receives us, loves us, showers us with mercy in Christ and equips us with His Spirit for every good work. As His blessed children we hunger and thirst for more righteousness. There is no One like our God. Righteousness is holiness in action. Practically that means, as our Father has given commands, righteousness is desiring to be holy as God is holy and to express this in walking the way of His commandments every day. As the psalmist says, "to all perfect I see a limit, but Your commands are boundless" (Psalm 119:96 paraphrased). There is boundless joy, soul-satisfaction, the honour of living out the privilege of being a child of God in righteousness--this is what satisfies our hunger and thirst. The more we live for God, the more we desire to do so.
Believers are merciful because we have first received mercy, lovingkindness, patience, and love from God. So showered in His mercy, drenched in His love, awash in His patient guidance, we are merciful to others, and this opens up even greater channels of His mercy towards us as others, captivated by God’s mercy expressed in our lives, makes us Holy Spirit-powered soul-winners for Jesus.
Those who are pure in heart are made such by the Holy Spirit. Our sins are washed away and our nighttime of sin and slavery to the dominion of darkness has been broken. The Father has rescued us in Jesus Christ, bringing us into His kingdom of light and guarding us there by the power of His Spirit. We shall see God not because of our efforts, but because of the work of Jesus. Therefore, we see God's work in us now and we anticipate seeing Him face to face. This is part of the glory of our salvation.
Christians are peacemakers because God has in Christ has reconciled Himself to us and made peace with us through the cross. The peace we have is so powerful, so persistent, we bear peace to those around us. It is the Spirit Who guards us in the peace of Christ. It is the Spirit, Who after we have sinned, repented, confessed it, and turned in obedience to Jesus restores that peace which passes understanding. In fact, it is the Spirit Who restrains us from our sin so that peace is even possible and peace is preserved which draws us from the chaos and discombobulations which sin inevitably brings.
Having been so anchored in Christ, believers are able to endure persecution, ridicule, mocking, the loss of property, or freedom, or even life because Jesus is the treasure above all others. Jesus is the one treasure no earthly power can ever snatch from the believer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away (the inheritance of darkness, the entangling chains of wicked deeds and thoughts and original sin, the slavish obedience to the devil who is the father of anyone not in Christ) and the new has taken hold and begins to unfold in glory. A man startled by the love of Jesus, captivated by Him through the inner working of the Holy Spirit, will prize Him above all--believers don't seek persecution or expressions of evil against them, but they hardly feel it because they have been so enraptured by their devoted love for and dedicated following of Jesus.

Glorious Father, what a storehouse of blessing is lavished upon us as believers in Christ. Truly You are magnificent! As we, empowered by Your Holy Spirit treasure Christ more dearly and walk with Him more intimately, may our lives show the blessedness You have given and are giving us, so that many others will be drawn to Jesus Who saved us, directs us, and is so perpetually captivating to our hearts, minds and imagination. Amen.

https://youtu.be/YdjFNHLHRB4?si=ZRFvbgJkNP16vItb Heaven Came Down

December 09, 2025

December 9, 2025 -- Proverbs 6:27 -- Toying with sin? Stop it. Here's how

December 09, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
Proverbs 6:27 ESV

Isn’t it crazy, the sins we fight are often the sins we toy with? Paul wrote of this when he stated he knows the right and good things he wants to do, but then forlornly adds “when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand” (Romans 7:21 ESV). Sin is like fire. Fire must be kept in the fireplace, or it will burn your hand, your clothes and whatever is valuable to you.

Fire in its proper place is warming and appropriate.

In the context of Proverbs, men and women must not toy with adultery—it is uncontained fire.
Gossip, a sin which is so common among believers, but often unchallenged. It is often phrased as if it were a prayer-request…but no prayer follows. It is a fire that must be quenched.
There is such a thing as just anger (see Ephesians 4:26) which motivates a person to act in righteousness, but anger which is self-centred and focused becomes a forest fire causing great damage.

This month, we are examining what sin is, and how it affects us. If you realize you are toying with sin, confess it to God. Remove whatever tempts you to sin far from yourself, i.e.: cell phone not near your bed at night; not gaming which inflames lust for anger and vengeance, guarding your lips from gossip by examining what you are going to say and your intention in saying it before you speak. Ask the Spirit of the Living God to focus your heart on the loveliness of Christ and with the Psalmist to ask to gaze upon His beauty (Psalm 27:4). Gazing upon His beauty means to consider the salvation of God. The attributes of God. The patient-lovingkindness of God that rescues sinners. The work of Jesus by which you are declared a beloved son or daughter of God. Spend time listening to and singing along with Christian songs and hymns, which fill the heart and imagination with the beauty of our Redeemer. All these activities focus the soul, strength and imagination on Jesus, in Whom we have living water that wells up to eternal life. The water of life, that puts out the fires of sin. What a glorious Father, Who provides for His children the way of health and life.

Faithful Father, I confess I have been faithlessly toying with sin. Looking at the glowing embers in a fire or handling a twig that has a burning tip, I can become enthralled with the dancing, playfulness of the fire and get so distracted from what is good, holy, and true, that I find myself burned. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, Who reveals our sin, but then also gives us the strength to turn to Jesus in confession. Then lead us to meditate on Your attributes, Oh God our Faithful Father. Amen.

https://youtu.be/ndZsEDuCVAQ?si=OxjOxZpidpflZPjq Psalm 27 Shane and Shane

Richard T. Vander Vaart

Richard T. Vander Vaart

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Richard T. Vander Vaart

January 6, 2026 -- Psalm 145:2,8 -- What is God like? His steadfast love.

January 5, 2026 -- Psalm 145:3,8 -- God is slow to anger. Why is that important?

January 4, 2026 -- Psalm 145:2,8 -- God is gracious and merciful. What does that mean?

January 3, 2026 -- Psalm 145:2-3 -- The Name and the LORD

January 2, 2026 -- Psalm 145:1,4 -- My God and King

December 31, 2025 -- Revelation 21:9-14 -- A vision for 2026

December 29, 2025 -- Revelation 3:14 -- Who Jesus Is

December 27, 2025 -- Philippians 3:12-14 -- Leaving the past behind, moving forward to Jesus

December 25, 2025 -- John 1:1-5 -- Repetition and more devoted worship

December 23, 2025 -- Mark 3:27 -- The expulsive power of love

December 22, 2025 -- Galatians 6:14 -- The world crucified to me and I to the world

December 21, 2025 -- Matthew 6:25,32 -- Secure in Your Father's Love

December 20, 2025 -- Psalm 90:15 -- Crying out for the never-ending, soul-satisfying love of God

December 17, 2025 -- Jeremiah 17:10 -- Sin, blame-shifting, and God's amazing healing

December 16, 2025 -- Proverbs 16:22 -- Conquering sin by relationship with the Source of All Good

December 14, 2025 -- Genesis 6:5 -- Examining the source of impulses and deeds

December 12, 2025 -- Proverbs 12:12-14 -- The zombie-parasite of sin and its antidote

December 11, 2025 -- Romans 1:24-25 -- Sin defined as disordered worship

December 10, 2025 -- Matthew 5:2-10 -- Consider how blessed we are in Christ

December 9, 2025 -- Proverbs 6:27 -- Toying with sin? Stop it. Here's how

Richard T. Vander Vaart

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